


Bobble and Nickinald Versus The Chronic Stupidity of Alloromantics

by A_Tomb_With_A_View



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex Mercer Has Anxiety (Julie and the Phantoms), Alex mercer and that’s what I call repression, Asexual Bobby Wilson, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Nick and Bobby are aro pals, Reggie Peters Has Fibromyalgia (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie has fibromyalgia, aro Nick, aroace Bobby Wilson, asexual willie, chronic stupid is had by all, grey-ace Alex mercer, he/they willie, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:33:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29113833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Tomb_With_A_View/pseuds/A_Tomb_With_A_View
Summary: The problem with having crushed on all of his (male) band members at some point was that Alex’s metric for the normal way to feel about them was kind of… fucked, to say the least.Reggie was different to the others, though. Sometimes, Alex thought Reggie was the one he’d never been in love with. Sometimes Alex thought Reggie was the one he’d never not been in love with. It was difficult to parse out, because Alex’s feelings for Reggie had never really changed, and whatever they were, they’d been there since the beginning, and it had just become… background noise.Alex had enough self awareness to know that he’d been a goner on Willie since their first meeting. To be honest, with how dopey he’d acted from the get go, it would’ve been impossible to deny.
Relationships: Alex & Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Carrie & Flynn & Julie & Luke & Nick & Reggie, Alex Mercer/Reggie Peters/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson ;& Nick, Flynn/Carrie Wilson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 31
Kudos: 120
Collections: Julie and the Phantoms Bingo Challenge





	Bobble and Nickinald Versus The Chronic Stupidity of Alloromantics

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo kids!   
> So this is based off an anon request I got for willie/Reggie/Alex with pre-existing Alex/willie, and Willie flirting with Reggie who wasn’t aware Alex was cool with it.   
> I think it was supposed to be more crack-y and flirty than this is, but as the anon never reached out after that to confirm, I don’t know, and as a very awkward (maybe demiromantic) ace who doesn’t flirt ever, this was the best I could do lol, so I hope this is still good!  
> This is also for the cuddling square of my jatp bingo board, it’s not central but I think it counts, they cuddle a fair bloody bit.  
> Enjoy!

The problem with having crushed on all of his (male) band members at some point was that Alex’s metric for the normal way to feel about them was kind of… fucked, to say the least. 

It had started, technically, with Luke, as it probably did for everyone. Luke was the most obvious of the four of them, all big eyes and slight curls and more love for the world and the people around him than he ever seemed able to contain in his body. It was hard to look at the four of them and see anything but his voice and his casual touches and the way every look made you feel like the centre of the universe. 

Next had come Bobby, when he hit his growth spurt at fifteen and had come back from a summer in France with Trevor and Carrie and Trevor’s fiancé, Joe, with muscles that couldn’t quite be hidden by his old tees and sweaters, and a voice lower than anyone in their grade. He’d still been Bobby underneath it all, but there was something more to him, his sarcastic laughs lower and richer, his hugs crushing and all-consuming, that Alex had found intriguing for a while. 

Somewhere, in the middle of all of that had been Reggie. Reggie was different. Sometimes, Alex thought Reggie was the one he’d never been in love with. Sometimes Alex thought Reggie was the one he’d never not been in love with. It was difficult to parse out, because Alex’s feelings for Reggie had never really changed, and whatever they were, they’d been there since the beginning, and it had just become… background noise. That was Reggie, Alex thought he was beautiful, Alex wanted to slap him round the head most of the time, Alex loved him. It didn’t matter  _ how _ he loved him, because they cuddled and argued and occasionally kissed just as friends, so he never sat down and tried to figure it out.

Sure, it had been a tricky line to walk, at first, but after years of constantly being around the three of them - and eventually Julie, who Luke was smitten with, and Nick, who introduced Bobby to words like “asexual” and “aromantic”, and Flynn, who had stolen Carrie’s heart in the time it had taken them to tell Bobby off for something but who wouldn’t accept the person Carrie had been at the time - it stopped feeling like a  _ feeling _ . Luke was pretty as all get out, Bobby’s lazy morning smiles sometimes made his stomach do flip flops, and Reggie was  _ Reggie,  _ but they were his best friends, his brothers, so he acknowledged the first two and set the third aside to not think about, ever. 

Then Willie crashed into his life - quite literally - and left his mark- again, quite literally, the bruise hadn’t faded for a  _ week  _ and Luke had been very up in arms about it - and forced Alex to reconsider the whole thing.

Alex had enough self awareness to know that he’d been a goner on Willie since their first meeting. To be honest, with how dopey he’d acted from the get go, it would’ve been impossible to deny. He’d gone back to the apartment he shared with his idiot bandmates all ditsy smiles and dreamy sighs and raving about their hair and their earring and their smile. He knew that the coffee Willie invited him out for was a date, and he knew that he’d stolen the designer green sweater Bobby had gotten from his dad for Christmas because he was trying to make the best impression, because he  _ liked  _ Willie. Hell, he was even pretty fucking confident that Willie liked him back, which said a  _ lot  _ about how far he’d come since being eleven and convinced that he was unloveable. 

The problem was that after the initial rush of  _ oh my god he’s so pretty how am I supposed to function,  _ and then the secondary rush of  _ holy shit they like me and want to go on a date with me _ , the feelings settled to something softer, more comfortable, that stayed warm in his chest, in a way that reminded Alex of when Carrie’s kitten deigned to curl up on top of him. It was precious and warm and once he got over the occasional overwhelming reminder that he was trusted with something like that, it was just  _ there.  _

It was more familiar than just feeling like a cat on his chest.

Well, more accurately, there were  _ two  _ cats on his chest.

With the glaring proof that what he felt for Reggie wasn’t what he felt for Luke and Bobby in the form of the direct comparison to his feelings for Willie, Alex was kind of fucked. He couldn’t ignore it now that he knew that the way he felt about Reggie was distinctly more akin to the way he felt about Willie, as much as he would’ve liked to try. 

Honestly, it probably would’ve been fine if Alex had decided to date any other person on the planet. He was good at tucking his feelings away to (never) be considered later, and he was constantly worrying about so many things that he always had an answer ready to go for when someone asked him if he was okay. But Willie was dumb and observant and stupidly earnest, and Reggie was the definitely up there as one of the cutest boys in the world, so it was probably inevitable that he figured it out. 

——

“So,” Willie said, chin resting on his hand as they watched Alex cook breakfast. “How long have you been in love with Reggie, and when were you gonna tell me?” 

Alex thought it was very impressive that he didn’t set the kitchen on fire, considering how much oil splashed out of the frying pan when he set it down heavily, heart in his throat. “I-what?” 

Willie grinned and leaned across the breakfast bar to grab Alex’s t-shirt, tugging him in. “I said, how long have you been in love with Reggie, and when were you gonna tell me?” He repeated, kissing Alex lightly as if to let him know he wasn’t in trouble.

“Uh, I have no idea, and probably never?” Alex replied after a moment, deciding honestly would work best. Willie would see straight through him anyways. 

“I…” Willie sighed and leant back, letting go of Alex. “I so want to be surprised, bro, I really, really do.”

Alex winced. “Isn’t it a good thing that I’m consistent?” 

Willie rolled his eyes fondly. “Absolutely. What are we gonna do about it?” 

Alex blinked. “I’m sorry?” 

“You’ve been in love with Reggie… apparently always,  _ I  _ think he’s very cute, and- oh, love, your bacon,” Willie cut themself off, pushing Alex away gently.

“ _ Fuck.”  _ Alex grabbed the pan and quickly lifted everything out after checking it was cooked. “Thanks, baby. So, continue, you were hypothetical-ising, because you’re an optimist with nowhere near enough anxiety?” 

“You’re such a dork, man.” Willie grinned and held their arms open, not speaking again until Alex had perched on the stool next to them. “Okay, so you’re in love with Reggie, I think Reggie is very cute, what do we do now?” 

“Uh… nothing?” Alex guessed, pouring what was probably an ungodly amount of ketchup onto his plate. “I’ve been doing this for fifteen years, man. Trust me, repression works.” 

“Hey, if you’d repressed your feelings for me, where would you be?” Willie prodded, pulling a face at Alex and grabbing the Hp sauce. “You’re disgusting, by the way.” 

Alex scoffed. “You get HP sauce imported from England, you’re disgusting. And, if I’d repressed my feelings for you, you would’ve beaten me over the head with yours, and we’d be right here.” 

Willie tipped his head in acknowledgement. “That’s fair. Well, I’m beating you over the head with your feelings  _ now _ , because, and i mean this very lovingly, you’re stupid as fuck, and Reggie is totally in love with you back.”

“Lies,” Alex dismissed, taking far too big a bite. Once he’d eventually choked it down, he frowned at Willie. “C’mon, dude, you don’t actually think that, do you? The only band member Regbert has ever had a crush on is Boberman, and that was weird, because it was at the same time  _ I  _ was crushing on Bobbley and I was incredibly confused, but he sees me and Lucy - and Bobbert now as well - as his brothers. Nothing romantic on his side of things, sorry to disappoint.” 

“You’re so gross,” Willie told him fondly, then kissed him anyways. “You’re also very wrong, and i, with your permission, intend to prove it to you.”

“You intend to what now?” Alex asked once his brain was firing on all cylinders again. “No way.”

Willie rolled their eyes and kissed his cheek. “Okay, what are the potential pros of me talking to Reg?”

Alex sighed and leaned forward until his forehead was on Willie’s chest. “Uhm. He likes us both, wants to pursue, like, a polyamorous-type thing, we all live happily ever after.”

“M’kay, good.” Willie shifted until he could actually support Alex’s weight, then started carding his fingers through Willie’s hair. “Now, what are the potential cons?”

Alex shrugged as much as possible. “He hates me, doesn’t like you, decides we’re both disgusting freaks of nature and never wants to talk to us again, moves out of state, marries a pretty girl, has four kids and two dogs and a huge house, and occasionally invites Bobbit and Luka over, but always leaves my name off the invite, until eventually he invites me over for a reconciliatory thing, but then after seeing me for the first time in fifteen years, decides i am, in fact, still too awful to be around, and makes me leave again.”

Willie heaved a sigh. “Okay, now remember that we’re talking about one of your oldest friends, Reggie, to be specific, and not someone from a soap opera. Cons of telling Reg?”

“Ugh,” Alex tried to sit back, but gave up when Willie’s fingers caught in his hair, not bothered enough to ask him to untangle them, huffing to let Willie know he would’ve moved if it required any less effort. “He does the weird and very awkward rejection, it’s kinda odd between us for, like, two months, and then we pretend it never happens.”

“There we go,” Willie said, leaning down awkwardly to kiss the top of his head. “Now, be honest with me, man, do the pros outweigh the cons or do the cons outweigh the pros?”

Alex thought about it - like, actually thought about it. He thought about it how Reggie would want him to think about it: What had the potential to make him the most happy, and would the other possibility make him regret seeking that for himself? 

He sighed after a moment. “I hate you,” he mumbled into Willie’s chest. “Pros outweigh the cons.” 

“Knew you’d get there eventually, babe. Proud of you.”

“Proud enough to go run to the store to get bagels for me?” Alex pushed hopefully.

“Not a chance.”

——

Alex hadn’t really known what to expect after that, but it wasn’t… whatever this was.

Willie greeted Alex as he always did when he came over after work, dropping a kiss on Alex’s lips and then his forehead with a mumbled, “Heya, baby.” Which was perfectly normal.

What was not normal was when they moved forward to press a kiss to Reggie’s forehead as well, one hand staying curled around Alex’s neck to play with the hairs at the base of his neck. “And hello, you.” 

He… he felt like he should feel jealous. Whether jealous of Reggie for having his partner’s face that close to his, or jealous of Willie for having their face that close to Reggie’s whilst it was blooming pink like that, he wasn’t entirely sure, but he was pretty sure there should’ve been something. 

He didn’t feel jealous of either of them. 

The kittens on his chest kind of just snuggled up into a little ball together 

Willie pulled back, leaving Reggie staring into space as they dropped down next to Alex, stealing his beer, then pulling a face, predictably. “What’s the plan for tonight?” 

“Lads night in,” Alex replied, relaxing automatically into Reggie when the other man stood at his other shoulder. “Jules is staying at Flynn and Carrie’s, and Kayla’s going over, they’re having a sleepover thingy, so we are, too. Nick-a-doodle should be here in a bit. What’s up, Sir Hargreaves?” 

Reggie opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it and shook his head. “Oh. Um. Nothing.” He tugged Alex’s hair lightly. “You want me to get vodka? I’m gonna run to the shops.” 

Alex hummed, and twisted to look at Willie. “Yeah, I will do, actually. You want anything, babe?” 

“I’ll just steal a bit of yours,” Willie said, shaking their head. “Oh, but do you think you could grab me some chocolate, Reg, love?” 

Reggie cleared his throat awkward and stepped back until he was in Alex’s field of vision, eyes darting around the room and cheeks pink. “Yeah, ‘course, man. I’ll. um. I’ll be back?” 

Alex nodded and waved, then turned to Willie as soon as he was gone. “You’re gonna scare him off, Will-o-the-whisp.” 

“Nah, I’m just scaring  _ you _ ,” Willie shook his head and stood up, grabbing Alex’s hand. “C’mon, I wanna dibs the main sofa for maximum cuddles with our dear resident bassist.” 

Alex sighed, but followed obediently after drinking the rest of his beer quickly. “You’re such a dork, though,” he joked, jogging forward so he could grab Willie around the waist and throw them onto the couch. “”Hello, you”? Really?” 

Willie laughed and adjusted until he was comfy, then held his arms out, waiting until Alex had crawled on top of him to fold his arms around him. “I was hardly just gonna kiss him right there, idiot. These things take  _ time.”  _

“Oh, do they?” Alex teased, one arm either side of Willie’s head. “Like how it took you  _ time  _ to kiss me?” 

“Al, dude, you tried to end our first date by saying “I have to gay, I mean go”, and then going redder than I knew was biologically possible, what was I supposed to do?” Willie complained. “Just not kiss you?” 

“You were supposed to ignore it, buddy,” Alex informed him, kissing their nose just to watch the way their face scrunched up. “That would’ve been polite.”

Luke cleared his throat from the doorway. “Thing One off of Thing Three, please.”

Alex snorted and sat up after kissing Willie quickly. “Who’s Thing Two?” 

Luke shot him a weird look. “Obviously Reg?”

Bobby appeared at his shoulder. “Oh, are we acknowledging that?” 

“Acknowledging what?” Alex asked, glancing between the two of them, then back to Willie, who just shrugged. 

“That you’ve crushed on everyone in the band?” Nick said, appearing from literally nowhere. 

Alex jumped, clutching his chest as he breathed deeply for a second. “Jesus  _ fucking  _ Christ, Nicky, why do you do that? Do you hate me? Do you- wait,” he cut himself off, feeling his cheeks go red. “ Do you all know about that?” 

Bobby waved his hand back and forth, still sniggering at Alex. “I knew you liked Lucy and have been low-key in love with Reginald your entire life. Didn’t know about me, but I don’t really perceive myself, so that’s not surprising.”

“What does that even  _ mean?”  _ Luke asked, shooting him a weird look. “You’re so weird, Bobbit.”

Bobby shrugged. “I just don’t think of myself very much. Like, I’m aware I’m here, but I don’t think about what people think about me, or particularly about what I think of people.” 

“Mood,” Nick joked, curling up on the weird spinny circle sofa that he and Bobby always took, so much so that they referred to it as an Allo-free zone. Willie technically had a long-standing invitation to also use the chair, and Alex did have the grey-ace card to pull, but Bobby and Nick changed their minds all the time on whether it was just an allo-free zone, or specifically an alloromantic-free zone.. “But, yeah, Ale. You’re very obvious. It’s very sweet, but… also incredibly cringe-worthy.”

“You look at him like the sun shines out of his ass,” Bobby translated, dropping a kiss on the top of Alex’s head as he moved to join Nick. “As you should, it’s Regbo, but it’s not subtle. Wilbert hides it better, but even then...”

Willie choked on their spit. “What?” 

Luke sprawled out over the armchair in a way that could  _ not  _ be comfortable. “You’re used to Lexifer, dude. You’ve gotten used to having to be obvious about how you feel to get through to your thicko boyfriend, and now you also look at Regbert like the sun shines out of his ass.” 

“It’s cute.” Nick shrugged. “Cuter than Alex losing his train of thought five times a conversation because Reg-o’s smiling too prettily, at least.” 

Willie pulled a considering face, then shrugged. “I’ll take that.” 

“I’m here, I’m queer, and I have fifty kilos of sugar and alcohol,” Reggie announced once they’d settled in and lined the film up. “Someone make space for me.”

“Aw, Reg, we’ve always got space for you,” Willie said, patting the spot next to him and ignoring how Bobby choked on his drink. “Did you get sour skittles?” 

Reggie turned pink, but sat down obligingly. “Duh. Who’s got the solo cups?” 

Bobby finished spluttering, still a concerning colour. “Please, we’re classy people here, Reg. We have mugs.” 

Reggie pulled a face and let Willie tug him into their side. “If you tell me you’re gonna drink straight whiskey from your Tea-Rex mug, I will start crying.” 

Bobby shifted uncomfortably, leaning forward at a vaguely impossible angle to snatch his whiskey and acid drops. “You won’t actually start crying right? If there are tears before we even get to Moana, I’m going to join Carrie’s sleepover, where they’ll just attack me with hair dye and scissors instead of emotions.” 

“Hey, hey,” Luke interrupted. “Reggie’s still holding my wine, let’s not say anything stupid until we’ve got drinks.” 

Reggie rolled his eyes, wiggling until he wasn’t quite so plastered against Willie, shooting Alex a look that he couldn’t quite interpret. “I love you, Bobby,” he announced teasingly, making a heart with his hands.

Bobby mimed throwing up, but settled back against Nick after grabbing Nick’s malteasers. “Yeah, yeah. Love you too, Regory.” 

Alex cleared his throat. “Has everyone got everything?” He asked, grabbing a beer first. The vodka was for when Luke inevitably insisted on something with shitty CGI and awful acting. 

“We’re all set,” Luke announced, glancing around. “Let’s a-go, kiddos.”

——

Alex woke up to Willie sprawled on top of him, and Reggie laid with his legs kicked over the arm of the sofa and his head pillowed on Willie’s thigh. 

They looked good together. 

Alex untangled himself carefully, pressing a kiss to Willie’s hair once he’d escaped, and considered doing the same for Reggie, but then firmly reminded himself that that kind of thing was for once -  _ if _ \- Reggie actually said he liked them. Willie was so sure that Alex was starting to let himself get swept up in their excitement, and remembering that he wasn’t actually theirs was… jarring.

Only a week ago, he’d been content to just love Reggie from approximately three inches away, he didn’t really need to have it requited, didn’t need to do relationship-y things, and they’d always had an especially close friendship. 

Now, doing the things they’d always done, and still did with the others - kissing his face and hair, plastering against him, joke-y flirting - felt like taking advantage of him, and Alex missed him something fierce. 

“Hey, Lexinald,” Bobby said, waving from where he was sat on the kitchen counter. The bastard never really got hungover, unless he tried to outdrink Flynn again. Nick didn’t either, and he looked annoyingly chipper, sat at the dining table typing frantically. “Can I interest you in some toast?”

“I love you,” Alex told him seriously, collapsing into one of the stools at the breakfast bar and burying his face in his hands. 

“You should,” Bobby agreed, sliding a plate across to him. “I’m amazing.” 

Nick snorted. “You threw popcorn at the TV every time a couple kissed last night, and now you have to try comb it out of the carpet.”

Bobby nodded. “That’s true,  _ but,  _ it was hilarious at the time.”

“Yeah, it was. You can be a little amazing, but only because Luke nearly cried after the twentieth time.” Nick grinned, then swore under his breath. “Okay, I have to go find a printer that works because Lukebert is an asshole who won’t get his fixed, if there’s no bacon left when I get home I will commit a murder.”

Alex saluted him lazily, doing his best to inhale his toast as Nick left, then turned to Bobby, eyes wide imploringly. “I’m in love with Reggie.”

“Yeah.” Bobby nodded. “You are.” 

“ _ Fuck.”  _

——

“It sucks being the only single one here,” Reggie sighed three weeks later, half on top of Alex.

Bobby raised an eyebrow. “Uh?” He motioned between him and Nick. “We’re single?”

Reggie squinted. “Tell me you wouldn’t get married for tax breaks. I know you’re not, you don’t do the romance, but tell me you wouldn’t get married for tax breaks, because I do  _ not  _ believe you.”

Bobby nodded. “Okay, that’s fair. I would take Nick to be my lawfully wedded bro.” 

“Same,” Nick said around a mouthful of pizza. “No romo, though.”

“Fuck, yeah.” Bobby stole the snickers out of Nick’s hand and tugged the front of his fedora down to cover his face. “No romo.” 

Alex sighed, and carded his fingers through Reggie’s hair. “Why does being single suck, Reg?” 

“Yeah,” Willie added, leaning across Alex to kiss Reggie’s cheek. “Are we not enough for you?” 

Reggie spluttered, turning pink. “No- that’s not. I wasn’t saying - oh my god! I just..” he motioned vaguely to Carrie and Flynn, who were curled up on Carrie’s love seat, foreheads pressed together as they whispered - It looked a lot more romantic than Alex suspected it probably was. They were probably planning some way to force the four of them to actually write a new album - and then to Julie and Luke, who were quietly writing a song together, pressed together from shoulder to hip and humming over Luke’s guitar. “It’s not unreasonable to want that kind of thing.”

“Reg, hon, you’re literally in my boyfriend’s lap,” Willie reminded him fondly, then winked. “We can totally kiss you if that’s what’s missing, though.”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry.” Reggie scrambled out of Alex’s arms. “I didn’t even- I’m sorry.” 

“No, no it’s fine,” Alex protested. “Come back, I was comfy.”

“You guys looked good together,” Willie added, then softened when it didn’t encourage Reggie. “Seriously, man. It’s okay. I  _ love  _ that dating Alexa means I get a whole family of cuddlers. Why do you think I come over every Thursday even though he volunteers on Thursdays?” 

Reggie shrugged and cautiously leaned back against Alex. “Because the store near your flat has shitty bread and we have good bread?” 

“To spend time with  _ you,  _ dorkus,” Willie corrected, leaning across Alex to grab Reggie’s hand. “You and Allie are, like, my favourite people.”

Alex’s eyes snapped up to meet Bobby’s gaze just as he opened his mouth, probably to make a joke. He shook his head subtly, and Bobby rolled his eyes but obediently didn’t say anything. 

Reggie relaxed and grinned. “Of course we are. We’re adorable.” He pressed his cheek against Alex’s. “Mainly me, but Lexibeth is also cute.” 

Willie laughed and nodded. “Fuck yeah, you are.” 

Alex felt Reggie’s cheek heat against his, and made a pleading expression at Bobby and Nick, who just sniggered and kept teasing Julie and Luke for whatever they were doing, which to be fair, probably deserved iy. 

——

“Alex, man, can I talk to you?” Reggie asked timidly maybe a month or so later, poking his head into Alex’s bedroom. 

It had been pretty weird the last week or so. Instead of flourishing under Willie’s attention like he had been previously, Reggie had started to look tenser and more unsure, cramming himself into the Allo-Free Zone instead of sprawling out on the big sofa with Alex and Willie, and laughing awkwardly when Willie flirted with him. Willie had stopped pretty quickly, and was pretty torn up about it. Alex was taking a leaf out of Bobby’s book and reminding himself that he’d expected Reggie to find it weird that they’d want him, and that this had always been the most likely outcome. He wasn’t Bobby, he couldn’t rationalise and logic his way out of his feelings, but if he stopped trying, he’d probably break down in Julie’s arms, and that would be embarrassing. 

Alex looked up, already on high alert due to the use of his full name. “Yeah, of course, Reg. what is it?” 

Reggie shrugged and walked in, sitting cross legged at the foot of Alex’s bed. “I think Willie has been flirting with me? And, at first I thought he was joking, so I flirted back, but then it kept happening, and they’re really pretty, and so I thought it was, like, a punishment for liking you both even though you’re taken, and my best friends - like, a reminder of what I can’t have - but then I remembered that Willie isn’t, they’re not cruel like that. But… I don’t. I don’t think it’s right that they’re flirting with me, when they’re dating you.”

“Oh, Reg…” Now that he looked closely, Reggie did look messed up about it. He was pale, and his hands were shaking and his nail beds were chewed to bits. He was wearing one of Ray’s shirts that Julie had stolen to use as pyjamas that were the best for flares, since there was no chance of the hem riding up and digging into his ribs. “Reg, I knew about it. We’re just,  _ really  _ fucking dumb.” 

Reggie chewed his lip, rubbing his ribs lightly, even though Alex  _ knew  _ he wasn’t supposed to do that. “I’m not. I don’t. I don’t understand.” 

“Can I tell Wills to come over?” Alex asked him, taking his hands to stop him pressing down. “We’ll explain everything, I promise.” 

Reggie shrugged a little. “Yeah, sure. Can I - um. Blanket?” 

“Oh, shit, yeah of course.” Alex threw the covers back and ushered Reggie under them, climbing in but keeping his distance to provide extra heat, then shot off a few texts to Willie to insist they come over immediately. “How bad is it? Want me to text Will to bring a hot water bottle?”

“Nah, man.” Reggie shook his head. “It’s not bad, I’m fine, thanks. Wanna start explaining?” 

Alex groaned and buried his face in his pillow. “No.”

“Pretty please?” 

“Only because you’re pretty,” he relented, rolling onto his back and offering his hand. 

Reggie linked his pinkie with Alex’s. “No flirting until I know what’s going on,” he insisted.

Alex sighed and nodded, training his eyes on a stain on the ceiling that he was pretty sure was Luke’s fault as he launched into it. “Okay, so. I may or may not have been in love with you for…. like,  _ ever.  _ And, I may or may not have not realised this until I had my feelings for Wilbur to compare it to, because I just thought, y’know, that’s Creej, that’s how I feel about him, I didn’t think it was a romantic kind of love. And Willie may or may not have noticed this? And said that they’re into you as well? And Y’know, I have  _ big  _ anxiety, so when Willie possibly suggested taking the lead and testing the waters, I may or may not have… agreed? And then we may or may not have forgotten how that would look?” 

Reggie was silent for a moment, then suddenly loomed over Alex, giggling. “You’re so fucking stupid, Allie-cat.” 

“Yeah,” Alex agreed, content just to watch him laugh for a moment, then waved when Willie appeared in the doorway. “Hey, babe. We fucked up.”

“Yeah, I heard the end of that.” Willie sat next to Alex, dropping a kiss on his temple, then offered his fist for Reggie to bump. “I’m really sorry for that, Reg. I just got excited.” 

Reggie shook his head, grabbing Willie’s hand instead of fist bumping them. “No it’s. Don’t worry about it.” He grinned shyly. “So. Albert is in love with me, and you like me as well?” 

“Maybe a little,” Willie joked, rubbing their thumb in circles on the back of Reggie’s hand. “Where do you stand with all of it?” They didn’t look that nervous, but Alex had spent hours studying their face, learning what the individual creases and twitches meant. He knew the tightness around Willie’s eyes meant he was nervous as well as he knew that the way his eyebrows had drawn together meant he was hopeful. Alex leaned into him a little, kissing his shoulder lightly, hoping Willie would take it as the silent  _ i love you  _ that it was. 

Reggie blinked. “Wait, you really don’t know?” 

“Know what?” Alex asked, playing with the hem of Willie’s t-shirt. 

“It’s. Uh. Reciprocated?” Reggie said awkwardly, the end lilted up like a question. “I, uh, like you both back.” 

“Sick,” Alex said, not thinking. After an awkward pause, it sunk in, and he groaned, hiding his head in his hands as the other two started laughing. 

“So, let me make sure we’re all on the page,” Willie said once they’d managed to stop laughing, cheeks still flushed. “We’re all into each other, we’re going to try dating each other, which is basically what we’ve been doing for the last month or two, and graciously let Bobble and Nickelodeon laugh at us, right?” 

Reggie nodded, kissing Willie’s knuckles lightly, and grinning as the pink of their cheeks intensified. “But the others aren’t allowed to laugh, because they were also dumbasses about getting together.”

“Agreed.” Alex nodded. “Remember when Fluke-”

Reggie slapped his hand over Alex’s mouth. “We don’t talk about it, we don’t think about it, or I’ll have a breakdown.”

“Understandable,” Willie laughed, then swung the hand holding Reggie’s gently. “So… when do I get to kiss you?” 

Red crawled up Reggie’s cheek, and he glanced between Alex and Willie, stammering. “Oh. Um. Whenever you want? I-If Al is okay with that?” 

Alex gestured between them. “Oh, don’t stop on my account. Go for it, Reg.” 

Reggie wet his lips, looking to Willie, who pulled him in slowly. “You can tell me to stop.” 

“Absolutely not,” Reggie breathed, closing his eyes as Willie kissed him.

Alex let out a breath, feeling his eyes go wide. This was. Wow. He said as much, and the two broke apart to laugh at him, which was pretty predictable, but then Reggie’s face was mere centimetres from his, and he didn’t have the words to defend himself. 

“So, do I get to kiss you, too?” Reggie asked, so close his eyes crossed slightly when he looked at Alex. 

Alex rolled his eyes fondly, and leaned forward to kiss him, taking a moment to savour it before leaning back. “This wasn’t our first kiss, Greg. No need to be chivalrous.”

Willie made a choked noise. “ _ What?”  _

——

When they emerged and made it into the living room, Nick and Bobby clinked their mugs together and downed the contents completely in sync. 

Julie clapped, curled into Luke’s side, eyes only half open. “Fucking  _ finally.”  _

Alex huffed and dropped down on the sofa, frown softening when Reggie and Willie curled up on either side of him. “You guys could’ve, like, encouraged communication?” 

“We don’t know how relationships work,” Nick defended, gesturing between himself and Bobby. 

“You know how communication works!” Alex insisted. “And you do, because you always accurately bet when things will happen.”

Carrie shrugged, smirking to herself. “That’s because you’re all predictable. Me and Flynn bet too, I’m just pretty sure you don’t wanna see the winnings.” 

Bobby pulled a face. “Jesus, Care. I am owed reparations for the emotional trauma incurred.”

Luke threw a rubber ball at him and ignored his yelp, turning to address the three of them. “ _ Anyway _ , we’re very happy for you three. It’s nice to see you managed to get your boys to get over themselves,” he added, giving Willie a thumbs up.

“Oh, yeah, totally,” Flynn agreed, tying off a small plait in Carrie’s hair. “I mean, you were huge dumbasses, and probably should’ve had a conversation a month or two ago, but we can’t expect too much of you, so.” 

“Hey, what does that mean?” Alex asked, playing with Willie’s hair absently. “You and Care-bear took ages to get together.”

“We’re lesbians,” Carrie dismissed. “That’s how lesbians work. Besides, we were working on an enemies to lovers, 200k, angst, fluff, and self discovery basis. Willie injured you, bought you coffee, and you’ve been together for two years, and it still took them - clearly a master relationship instigator - two months to get this show on the road after starting it, even though you two have been pining for, like, a decade.”

“It’s not pining if you’re not aware of it,” Reggie chimed in. “I mean, I was, I’m emotionally cognisant, but ‘lex wasn’t.” 

“Shit, really?” Julie asked, looking up to Luke, who nodded with a pained expression. “ _ Damn,  _ ‘Lexi. That’s…. I wow.”

Alex just shrugged and pressed a kiss against Reggie’s hair, then Willie’s cheek. “I got here eventually, didn’t I? Two years after realising I love him is nowhere near as bad as the four years It took you two idiots.”

Bobby cleared his throat. “Does this mean me and St Nick are the only ones with grounds to make fun of you?” He cracked his knuckles and high-fived Nick. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

”We’ve earned this,” Nick agreed, even though he shot Alex a proud smile. “Do you understand how much stupidity we have to deal with from you lot?”   
  
“It’s the chronic stupidity of allos,” Willie complained, kissing Alex’s shoulder lightly. “Usually I’d be right there with you.”

”it’s okay,” Bobby reassured him. “You can join us in the allo-free zone when Reg and Alex coincide with times they feel like sex is an option.” 

“Thanks, man.”   
  
Nick did finger guns. “No problem.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are much appreciated if you enjoy :))


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